In the past few months I have read in a number of different places the analogy that self-care is like putting your own oxygen mask on first when a plane is going down—you can’t help anyone else until you are taken care of. As someone who is a chronic “helper” this can be very hard for me to do, but as much as I resist it, I have found that not only do I do better if I practice some self-care in times of stress, but everyone else in my family does too because I am more patient, kind, and efficient. At the same time, though, in these times of craziness I just don’t have time to go get a massage, sleep late, go to a yoga class, or take half a day off for some “me” time. So instead I have been working on finding ways to simplify and create the space for mini-breaks and I wanted to share them with you to help you get through the seasonal insanity, or to store away for a time when you need a boost.

Let’s start with cooking. Even I feel overwhelmed by the idea of getting dinner onto the table every night right now, so here is how I am feeding my family without turning to take out:

• Keep it simple. Save your culinary creativity for the big fancy meals and stick to what you can do without much thought or effort. In other words, there is no shame in sandwiches, pasta with sauce, and quesadillas.
• Leftovers, leftovers, leftovers! Make extra and then eat the leftovers or make them into something slightly different but super quick the next night. Extra rice can become Brazilian-style fried rice. Extra tomato sauce can give you French bread or bagel pizzas. Leftover chili or beans can become veggie-loaded nachos or quesadillas.
• Raid the freezer. Remember that extra chili, soup, or casserole you froze months ago? Now’s the time to pull it out! This week alone we are having chili and chicken tikka masala out of our freezer.

And now for the self-care tricks that are working for me these days:

• Turn a task into time for your self. Because things have been so busy I haven’t had any time to veg-out in front of the TV, so I decided to make folding laundry and emptying the dishwasher TV times. It feels decadent since it isn’t something I normally do and it is helping me to get through the mundane chores at little more cheerfully. Other options could be listening to music or a podcast that you really love or taking that work call on your cell so you can go for a walk while you talk.
• Take a bath. Over the weekend I had a few minutes to take a bath and it was AMAZING! It only took about 20 minutes but my whole body was so much more relaxed afterwards. If you feel like 20 minutes is even pushing it, then maybe you can do some reading for work or writing of holiday cards while you’re soaking (I won’t tell!).
• Set your timer for some mini-breaks. If you are feeling like every second is planned, then schedule in some time to take a break. Even just 5 minutes to walk around the block, rest in a savasana pose, or stretch can help you feel rejuvenated.

Do you have simple ways to simplify cooking and/or practice self-care when you are feeling overwhelmed? If so, please share!

<p>The post Holiday Self-Care: 6 Cooking and Self-Care Hacks in Times of Overwhelm first appeared on The Balanced Kitchen.</p>

When he first told me of his love for eggs and rice I was dumbfounded. Outside of fried rice at Chinese restaurants I had never heard of the combination. And to be completely honest, I thought it sounded absolutely awful. But in the interest of being a good sport with my new boyfriend, I agreed to try it. As I looked down at my plate of rice topped with a fried egg, I was still doubtful. And then I took my first bite and I was blown away! It was delicious, nourishing, and comforting. It felt like something I would imagine a grandmother would make for you when you were home sick.

Eggs and rice have since become a staple in our house in a number of forms and while putting a fried egg on top of a bed of rice feels too simple to share as a legitimate recipe here, I did want to share with you the other way that we eat eggs and rice in our family on an almost-weekly basis: Brazilian-Style Fried Rice.

I love this recipe because it is so flexible. It is the meal we make when there is nothing much in the house. It is meal we make when we have no time to cook. It is the meal we make when we have various leftovers to use up, but not enough of any one thing. It is the meal we make when my little one hasn’t eaten a vegetable in days and it is starting to stress me out.

In Portuguese this dish is called Mexidinho and in Brazil it is one of those dishes that everyone’s family does in their own way. My recipe is based on my husband’s approach, which is really by feel rather than a recipe, so feel free to adjust it to your own tastes and desires.

The basics are simple: leftover rice, eggs, and a vegetable of some sort. After than you can add anything you want: beans, cheese, diced meat, leftover cooked vegetables, etc.

I know this may seem strange, but I highly recommend trying this one out!

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Brazilian-Style Fried Rice (Mexidinho)

Course Dinner

Cuisine Brazilian

Prep Time 2 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 7 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Jessica Braider

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 3-4 eggs about 1 egg per person
• 2 cups cooked rice or another grain
• 1 cup chopped or small vegetable frozen is fine (e.g., peas, chopped spinach, broccoli florets, corn, chopped tomatoes)
• 1 cup of optional add-ins: beans or legumes diced already-cooked meat or tofu, grated cheese, leftover cooked vegetables, I’ve even added leftover stuffing (see picture)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• In a large frying pan, melt the butter. Add the eggs and scramble in the pan until just starting to solidify, about 1 minute. Add in the rice and stir until starting to warm, about 1 minute. Add in vegetables and any other add-ins. Mix until everything is warm. Salt and pepper to taste.

<p>The post Brazilian-Style Fried Rice: Dinner in 7 Minutes first appeared on The Balanced Kitchen.</p>

One of my favorite ways to stretch the food I make farther is with a grain salad. If I am making a pot of grains—rice, quinoa, millet, couscous, etc.—I always make extra. So much can be done with leftover grains: you can turn them into breakfast porridge, throw them into a big green salad for some added heft, mix them into soups or stews, fold them into veggie burger batter, and, my favorite, turn them into a grain-based salad. Grain salads are great because they can serve as a hefty side dish and are so incredibly flexible—any leftover vegetables, cheese, or salad dressing you have lying around can get thrown in!

If you’ve got 1 ½-2 cups or more of leftover grains, some vegetables, some salad dressing or oil and vinegar, and some sort of protein (although even that is optional), you’ve got a grain salad!

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Simple Grain Salad

Course Side

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author Jessica Braider

Ingredients

• 1 ½-2 cups leftover grains rice, quinoa, millet, couscous, etc.
• 1 or more cups vegetables chopped or grated raw vegetables; leftover roasted, steamed, or stir fried vegetables; and marinated vegetables such as artichokes and hearts of palm, all work well
• 1/4 -1/2 cup or more of protein chopped up or shredded leftover animal protein, chickpeas, beans, lentils, or cheese are all great—optional
• Some moisture salad dressing or olive oil and balsamic vinegar
• Herbs and spices oregano, basil, thyme, garlic powder, chili powder, and garam masala are all delicious

Instructions

• Mix the components together and serve.

Notes

Fun tip: The flavor will get even better if you leave it sitting for an hour or more, so one easy trick is to make the salad when you are cleaning up after dinner. Just mix the leftover grains and vegetables from dinner together with some herbs and moisture, throw it in the fridge, and then serve it the next night as a side dish at dinner.

<p>The post Simple Grain Salad: A side dish without a recipe first appeared on The Balanced Kitchen.</p>

As I got older I began to realize that obsessively eating certain foods was slowly ruining them for me (I still have trouble with Canadian bacon, for instance), so I pushed myself to alternate foods so this wouldn’t happen. As a parent, I have also worked very hard to encourage variety in my boys’ diets so that they don’t grow sick of any one food.

But the recipe that I am going to share with you today is actually what I eat almost every single day for lunch. How is that possible? Because it is incredibly flexible, I just use whatever I have in the house that day, so every day is different!

Another reason I love this dish is that you can make one or you can make 10 in about the same amount of time, so it is a great family dinner option when you only have 5-10 minutes to get something on the table. And bonus perk: everyone gets to add the toppings they like, so it gives little ones a nice sense of control over their meal.

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Tostada Salad

Course Dinner, Lunch

Prep Time 3 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 8 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Author Jessica Braider

Ingredients

• Corn tortillas 2-3 per person
• Cheese shredded cheddar or mozzarella, feta, goat, really any cheese that melts well
• Vegetable toppings lettuce, kale, tomatoes, bell peppers, leftover roasted vegetables, avocado, cucumber, etc.
• Salsa
• Optional protein toppings: leftover beans chickpeas, meat, or tofu

Instructions

• If you are using the oven, preheat to 400. If you are making 1 or 2, then the toaster oven works perfectly.
• Lay your tortillas out on baking sheets and spread a small amount of the cheese.
• Top with any vegetables you would like to heat up (peppers, tomatoes, and leftover roasted vegetables would all be good here) as well as any of the optional protein toppings you are using.
• Place the tray in the oven or toaster oven and heat until the tortillas start to crisp around the edges and the cheese is melted.
• Remove from oven and top with any other vegetables you want to add and salsa.

Notes

1) The trick here is to add lots of the vegetables, so that it really looks like salad on top of a tortilla and then the salsa is your dressing.
2) The benefit of using salsa as your dressing is that it has lots of flavor, so you don’t need to drown the vegetables.
3) If you are using kale, I recommend tearing up the kale and mixing it with a little salsa while the tortillas heat up. The acidity in the salsa will break down the kale a bit, making it more tender.

<p>The post Tostada Salad first appeared on The Balanced Kitchen.</p>

This is barely even a recipe, but it is so delicious and easy I had to share it. It is a great addition to the meal plan for a week when chili is already planned because it is different enough from the chili itself that even haters of leftovers will probably be ok with it. It takes 10 minutes to put together and 35 minutes to bake. You could even assemble it ahead and either freeze it or just keep it in the fridge for a day or two until you are ready to throw it into the oven.

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Chili Lasagna

Course Dinner

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author Jessica Braider

Ingredients

• 4 cups chili whatever kind you’ve got!
• 3 cups shredded cheese mozzarella, Monterrey jack, or mozzarella all work
• 1 package of no boil lasagna noodles

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Pour 1 cup of chili into the bottom of a 13x9 baking dish.
• Put in a layer of lasagna noodles. Pour half of the remaining chili on top.
• Sprinkle 1 cup of cheese over the chili. Add another layer of lasagna noodles.
• Pour remaining chili on top.
• Sprinkle another cup of the cheese.
• Cover with a final layer of lasagna noodles and last cup of cheese.
• Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover for 5 minutes to let the cheese brown a bit.

<p>The post Chili Lasagna first appeared on The Balanced Kitchen.</p>

The first topic I am going to tackle is the hatred of leftovers. We all know that cooking once and then eating the leftovers can not only save you time but also money, but many people hate leftovers and so the idea of cooking a big meal to use throughout the week is just not going to work… Maybe it is because your parents served the same thing night after night, maybe it is because you want something new every night, or maybe it just grosses you out.  No matter what the reason, there are some ways to overcome this aversion and take advantage of what you’ve got.

Here are my top 5 ways to make leftovers work for you:

1)   Freezer for later. Before you even serve the first serving out onto a plate, put some aside for freezing to eat in 2 or 3 weeks’ time. This works well is soups, stews, sauces, beans, and even casseroles (in the case of casseroles, divide it into two baking dishes and freeze one either before or after you bake it).  An often unknown secret about these types of foods is that they often end up tasting better after they have sat for a while, whether in your fridge or freezer, this is because the flavors have more time to combine and deepen. If you hate leftovers, you probably don’t know this little perk…

2)   Change the flavor up. If you had a pasta with sauce and parmesan one night, maybe add some different cheese (e.g., feta or mozzarella) or another protein to the mix the second. If you had soup with bread and cheese one night, maybe have soup with rice mixed in or hot sauce the next. Condiments, cheeses, and a change of protein or grain can make the meal seem new again.

3)   Repurpose the food. Turning the leftovers into something else can be a quick and easy way to make them more palatable. Leftover chicken, steak, or fish can easily become part of a filling for tacos, burritos, quesadillas, or a pot pie. They can also become part of a stir fry, fried rice, or a hearty salad. Remaining tomato or pesto sauce can become the sauce for a pizza. Extra stew can make a great filling for a pot pie, shepard’s pie, or pastry pockets. Leftover grains can make a great salad, fried rice, or part of veggie burgers. Remaining beans are wonderful in soups, veggie burgers, or quesadillas. You get the idea…

4)   Start a leftovers club. Have a friend or friends who also hate leftovers? Maybe you could each make a meal, divide in half, and then share with one another for the next night.

5)   Lunch for someone else. If someone in your family doesn’t mind leftovers (a partner or kid), take advantage and send it in their lunch.

So, please join us on October 8^th at 7:30pm for 30 Minutes/$30 and in the meantime, I’d love to hear your ways to make leftovers work for you!

<p>The post 5 Ways to Use Up Leftovers first appeared on The Balanced Kitchen.</p>

We all know we should be eating more vegetables. Many of us try to get them through salads at lunch or an extra serving at dinner, and those are great approaches. But what about breakfast? In mainstream U.S. culture, vegetables in breakfast is often a strange concept, unless you are having a fancy brunch with a frittata or quiche (which can also be easy and quick breakfast foods, like these spinach bites). Instead we often think of breakfast as the time for starches and fruit.

One of my favorite ways to get the veggies into my breakfast is with the 5-minute breakfast scramble. This easy, delicious, and fun option for breakfast is a great way to get everyone off on the right foot. It’s got protein, carbs, and vegetables, and can be adapted in countless ways.

The trick is a tiny bit of foresight. When you are making vegetables for dinner, make some extras. Roasting potatoes or sweet potatoes? Chop and roast one or two more than you think your family will eat. Washing greens? Wash and tear up some extra and pop them into a bag. Chopping an onion, carrot, or bell pepper? Put some aside in a storage container. Steaming some broccoli or cauliflower? Steam a ½ cup more than your family will eat. Then, the next morning when you go to put your breakfast together you have the veggies ready to throw into your scramble!

<p>The post 5-minute Breakfast Scramble: Getting vegetables into breakfast first appeared on The Balanced Kitchen.</p>

Even the weeks when there is less planned seem to fill up with decisions we have been putting off, tasks around the house we haven’t completed, and work we have been putting off because we haven’t had time. So sometimes it gets to the point where we are just worn out. That is the state of things in our house this week. It is times like these when I have to fight the desire to pick up take out or order a pizza. It is times like these when my husband gently and cautiously asks how many dishes will there be to wash after dinner.

So why do I resist that temptation to order or get take out? For a couple of reasons:

1)   I am cheap. If I don’t need to spend the money, I don’t want to. And no matter what, making something quick and easy at home will always be cheaper than ordering pizza or take-out for four.

2)   It is healthier. If I make the food it will have less unnecessary sodium and sugar, it won’t have the preservatives, and if we have meat or dairy, it will be meat and dairy I feel comfortable serving/eating.

3)   I don’t want to get into the habit. If I start ordering food, then it become more tempting to order it the next time and, sure, Chipotle or a pizza every once in a while is ok, but if we do it too often, then it is a slippery slope to once a week, then twice a week, etc. And that is something I want to avoid for the two reasons above.

So since I am controlling and cheap, what are my solutions for days like these when I really can’t face too much cooking and my husband can’t face the dishes? Well, there are some go-to meals that I know won’t require too many dishes and require 10 minutes or less of prep time.

1)   Veggie-loaded quesadillas (what we will be having for dinner tonight). Some cheese, some beans (if I have them on-hand), a mix of whatever leftover veggies I have in the fridge or freezer, and some tortillas and I am ready to go.  Salad on the side a bonus.

2)   Grilled cheese sandwiches with salad or a frozen veggie side.

3)   Veggie scrambled eggs and toast. Chop up some veggies, sauté them in a little butter, and mix in the eggs with some salt, pepper, and herbs and your done practically by the time the toast is toasted. Fruit or salad on the side a bonus.

4)   Leftovers. Everyone gets to pick what they want from what is in the fridge.

So that is how we are going to survive this evening so that we can get to bed earlier than we have been.  What are your tricks of the days like these?

<p>The post Running on Empty and Still Cooking first appeared on The Balanced Kitchen.</p>